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Project Fair, part two

    So, yesterday I told you about our Project Fair and what Zach, Maddie and Emma made (and Silas, too).  And then there’s Sophie.  Oh, goodness.

    Sophie came to me several weeks ago and told me she wanted her project to be Skirts and Shirts. “How cute!” I said. “Which doll do you want to make skirts for?” I asked.  “No, Mama. Not for a doll. I want to make them for me!” she told me.  Oh, dear.  Well, I set about finding some skirt patterns that she’d be able to help me sew. I wanted her to be able to call it her very own project, and even though she’s done some hand and machine sewing, there’s a big difference between making wall hangings to look at and making clothing to wear, and I SO didn’t want her to be disappointed in the end.   I was in for a bit of a surprise.skirtsewing-1I found the first pattern for her, the Oliver + S Lazy Days Skirt,  and thought she’d be able to help me sew it together.  But first she wanted to pick the fabric, pink, of course. She allowed me to cut the fabric into the right size, after she told me exactly how long this skirt should be (a bit short for my taste, but with leggings it’s really cute). I ironed it, as she was afraid of the iron’s heat, but then when we went to the sewing machine, it was all her.  She shooed my hands away and focused on the stitching and before we knew it, skirt one was done.  She disappeared into the basement for a bit and came back with a ribbon rose I made a few years back and never found a use for, and told me exactly where on the skirt it was to be fastened.

    The next skirt to make was the Purl Soho Gathered Skirt.  I had to do some quick thinking on this one when she went to select her fabric from my stash, as she kept going to the brightest, most colorful, and even sparkly prints – wanting three different fabrics in her skirt.  We moved away from the sparkly purple and gray print that she wanted to combine with the turquoise and blue floral fabric and the orange and pink pockets (Phew!), and I was able to find some coordinating fabrics that she approved of.  This time, she wanted to do all the ironing herself, and all the stitching too.  (I did the gathering stitches for her since they really need to be straight and smooth to keep from breaking when you gather.) She even put in her own elastic for the waist.
    skirtsewing-2
    And finally, she thought a spinning skirt was just what she needed. So we cut out a circle skirt pattern, added a simple waistband and she stitched away.  I will say that this was the hardest of the bunch because of the way a hem on a circle skirt needs to be stitched to keep from having creases and folds, but she did it, again, the only thing I did for her was the gathering stitches, and this time I ironed the hem section.

    But this girl, this six-year-old little girl, brought her sewing machine along to Project Fair and sat and sewed.  projectfair-6 projectfair-5We needed to stack some books so she could reach the presser foot, but she was absolutely in her element.  So, three skirts (and one shirt that really didn’t turn out as well as I’d hoped – my pattern drafting skills need a lot of work), and we had one incredibly happy little girl.   skirt-1